Brit (Ashley Benson), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Cotty (Rachel Korine) and Faith (Selena Gomez) have been best friends since grade school. They live together in a boring college dorm and are hungry for adventure. All they have to do is save… MoreBrit (Ashley Benson), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Cotty (Rachel Korine) and Faith (Selena Gomez) have been best friends since grade school. They live together in a boring college dorm and are hungry for adventure. All they have to do is save enough money for spring break to get their shot at having some real fun. A serendipitous encounter with rapper "Alien" (James Franco) promises to provide the girls with all the thrill and excitement they could hope for. With the encouragement of their new friend, it soon becomes unclear how far the girls are willing to go to experience a spring break they will never forget. (c)Official Site

It's campy and comic at times, but Korine also gives the film a downbeat, melancholic edge, with voiceovers, pointed repetition of dialogue and images, and hallucinatory camera work, sound and editing.

Neon bright and all raw energy, Spring Breakers is a pulsating paradox of a movie, both a tangerine dream and a cultural reality check, a pop artifact that simultaneously exploits and explores the shallowness of pop artifacts.

Somewhere between a mindless music video and Terence Malick... grotesque, compelling cinema (European in style, kind of like Drive was) that uses little… MoreSomewhere between a mindless music video and Terence Malick... grotesque, compelling cinema (European in style, kind of like Drive was) that uses little dialogue and (I'm not the first reviewer to say) "hallucinatory" effects to make its point about how desensitized to sex and violence a whole generation is... about how we play the roles before we even know what they are. Brave and interesting work - much better than the "Disney Kids Go To College" movie I half-expected.

Mark Hobin

Spring Breakers is an intriguing film. What initially starts out as a superficial focus on hedonistic desires evolves (devolves?) into a nightmare come to life.… MoreSpring Breakers is an intriguing film. What initially starts out as a superficial focus on hedonistic desires evolves (devolves?) into a nightmare come to life. The visual sequences build on repetition to the point where the audience is desensitized to all the wild partying. At first all the attractive young coeds in various states of undress threatens to become a part of what it ultimately condemns. Even when the girls are in a college classroom their minds are focused on less academic pursuits. But just when you acclimate to the debauched surroundings, the director ratchets up the intensity. There are scenes that have such an uneasy feel, they degenerate from a lighthearted good time into horror within seconds. The picture grows dark. It's that ability to juggle a rapidly shifting narrative that makes Spring Breakers such a fascinating watch. It's much more than what the trailers promote. It dares to show the consequences and for that reason, Spring Breakers deserves your attention.
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Michael S

A dark decent into the seedy underbelly of western establishment emerges from the guise of the candy colors, pulsating soundtrack, and numbing debauchery of… MoreA dark decent into the seedy underbelly of western establishment emerges from the guise of the candy colors, pulsating soundtrack, and numbing debauchery of "Spring Breakers;" a divisive film that will intrigue and repulse audiences in equal measure. What I find exciting about "Spring Breakers" is it's inventiveness. It's loose and fractured scene structure along with manic editing and breezy Cliff Martinez score work like a cinematic trance; if it feels a tad like a music video (or a straight visual representation of modern electronic music) it's definitely intended albeit undeniably perplexing. Korine brilliantly let's Spring Break inhabit the film itself... all vivid surface and no substance until you realize there are actual people, crimes, and personal atrocities at the center of the party, often in plain view. Casting tween idols at the heart of the film (Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson; all impressive) was smart in getting this point across, and even makes some of the seedier dealings they get into more disturbing and irksome to watch. Through the countless montage shots and filmic style built on repetition in visuals and dialogue, it's quite surprising that the message is never lost amidst the chaos, and that the film maintains it's gradual intensity throughout. When you think the film has shown you all it's cards, James Franco shows up in one of his most memorably fearless performances; when you think the film has nowhere else to go, the stakes get higher and a whole lot darker. That's what I loved about "Spring Breakers." It surprised me from beginning to end. Sure it can grate and meander at times, but damned if it doesn't amount to a fascinating, lurid whole. It's smart, it's infectious, and it's bold film making. Destined to be loved and outright loathed, I'm convinced Harmony Korine has made not only his best movie, but some strange slice of whacked-out pop art. Give it a chance. It's worth it.

Dan Schultz

An energetic, hypnotic, colorful tale of four girls who want desperately to get out of their town for a little bit, and after a night of hard drug use decide to… MoreAn energetic, hypnotic, colorful tale of four girls who want desperately to get out of their town for a little bit, and after a night of hard drug use decide to rob a diner to help fund their spring break vacation. While it features extreme nudity and an unending moral abyss its characters sink themselves into, this movie is ultimately a success as a middle-finger to my generation as to the hollow-ness the "party all the time" lifestyle ultimately holds. Ironically, a lot of people will not get this movie and view it as "too weird", but really it is director Harmony Korine showing just how selfish and foolish a lot of young people are these days. Sure, what is shown in this movie is a heavily exaggerated version of good times gone wrong, but it is still one that effectively captures young culture. The character development is not even close to good, but I do not think Korine was trying for that, instead having these characters be representatives of just ordinary college students who go off the rails. His Terrence Malick-ian way with the camera and his story is also a pretty big surprise, as the surreal nature and tones this film is given is a welcome surprise. Far from a great movie, but definitely a solid one with a fun, wacky performance from James Franco who creepily hangs around these girls through much of the movie.

Apeneck Fletcher

Exploitation of the youth market is nothing new, nor is the same masquerading as social commentary. The only rarity is how well Harmony Korine manages this… MoreExploitation of the youth market is nothing new, nor is the same masquerading as social commentary. The only rarity is how well Harmony Korine manages this overlong music video/Abercombie & Fitch commercial. The basement party crowd get their prerequisite boobs and gunplay, the social commentary crowd get ... not so much, which is better for the basement party set anyway. Like many American International films before it, you can wait to see it.

Matthew Samuel Mirliani

It's a mixed bag. There are elements of Spring Breakers that filmgoers can admire. Firstly, the film editing and cinematography are well done and… MoreIt's a mixed bag. There are elements of Spring Breakers that filmgoers can admire. Firstly, the film editing and cinematography are well done and appropriately dreamy. Secondly, there are two astounding, albeit disturbing, sequences in the film that are brilliantly designed: the first one features the song "Everytime" by Britney Spears, and the second one is just as beautiful and haunting and concludes the film. However, there are several problems that the film faces. The dialogue is unsophisticated, there are no remarkable performances--perhaps the exception being that of the versatile James Franco--and one never really gets to know these characters. A lack of character development makes it quite easy to lose interest with the film when it lags. There are moments of shining cinematic genius, but Spring Breaker is ultimately dragged down by an unnecessary and frustrating drabness. If there is any competition between Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring and Spring Breakers, Coppola wins hands down. Both are harsh social commentaries, but at least Coppola's gave you some sort of idea of whom the characters were and what they were thinking. When this film wasn't engineering a dazzling sequence, we watched Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens blink and pout in neon lights. It's not saying much, despite its visual chicness.

Sam Barnett

Spring Breakers is a conceptually genius, intentionally confrontational, and unnervingly beautiful nightmare of a film that screams 'subversive' at… MoreSpring Breakers is a conceptually genius, intentionally confrontational, and unnervingly beautiful nightmare of a film that screams 'subversive' at the top of its lungs, to great effect. From casting to soundtrack to cinematography, Harmony Korine's best directorial effort fires on all cylinders and dares its audience to consider if it's the movie itself that repulses them, or the society that they live in that the film so boldly deconstructs. In a year full of astonishingly good movies, Spring Breakers in all of its imperfect and insane glory is my favorite film of 2013.

Chris Weber

I've had a bit of exposure to Harmony Korine's work before, but this was first time watching a film of his all the way through. And I must say: it was… MoreI've had a bit of exposure to Harmony Korine's work before, but this was first time watching a film of his all the way through. And I must say: it was definitely...something.
I actually kind of like it. Yeah, it's a meandering, weird mess, but it's just done in such a WAY, that I can't help but give some respect/get some enjoyment out of it.
What little actual plot there is involves four lifelong friends who, bored at their college dorm, decide to go to Florida for spring break. Problem is, they're short on cash and a ride, so their trip is funded via robbery (and it's done in a really cool long take from a neat perspective). Once they get to Florida, their plans for having an amazing adventure really go off the rails after their thrown in jail, then bailed out by Alien- a cornrowed, mouth grilled, gangsta/drug/gun runner and rapper with a strong southern drawl.
And that's really all there is to it. Sure, once they meet Alien, a bit of a plot develops as the girls get involved in his world, but even that is pretty formless.
A lot of this is just a sequence of montages, with tons of repeated lines of dialogue that seem designed to function as meditative or trance inducing. And the film is shot with a ridiculous amount of bright, candy colored neon lights and garb, and is basically a mix between a bad trip and girls gone wild (to the extreme). I was mostly on board with this though. I really didn't know what to expect or anything, and came away mostly pleased.
The film does ramble, and doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, but, I do agree with those who think the film is a satire. Problem is: I think it straddles the line between satire and sincerity a little too well, and it's hard to tell when/if the audience is supposed to be taking it seriously.
The music and editing match the visual style quite nicely though, and serve as great ways of showcasing youthful debauchery, even though the shock value wears off earlier than it should have.
Probably the most striking thing here is not the attempt at some Disney princess to cut loose (although it is a noble, and mostly successful effort), but the stunning performance by James Franco as Alien. It's such a bizarre character, and a really out there performance. It's fascinating and engaging, though some might find it funny, and it kind of is, but they might find the humor in it for the wrong reasons. I personally think it's a bold move by Franco, and easily one of his most notable (and interesting) performances.
This is a love it or hate it movie, but I somehow ended up closer to the middle, though leaning towards the positive. As far as a grade goes, let's call it somewhere between C+ and B-.

Alice Shen

This movie is off the flippin' chain. I don't think it's necessarily effective satire because the line between social commentary and… MoreThis movie is off the flippin' chain. I don't think it's necessarily effective satire because the line between social commentary and glorification of debauchery gets too blurred, but I could hardly tear my eyes away from style auteur Harmony Korine's candy-crush guilt-free Bacchanal. The clever juxtapositions of innocence and immorality paint an extreme, not-far-off culture of excess. The girls engage in kinky-baby playground games, quickly devolving into a terrifying barrage of sex, drugs, profanity, and armed robbery. The non-stop depravation is wicked and titillating, and the gang's crime and violence spree underscored by plaintive pop ballads is at once brutal and eerily beautiful.
Sweethearts of PG-13 television Ashley Benson and Vanessa Hudgens prove their bad-babe mettle as amoral provocateurs who sell every curse and finger-pistol. Corn-rowed gold-grilled James Franco is kerazy, as usual, and appallingly impressive when he submits to the girls' sexually deviant ploys. Disney Princess Selena Gomez, as the churchy good-girl, shows off her enviable Spring Break bod and ultimately reveals some decent dramatic chops in a silent, teary face-off with Alien.

This was one film that was far better than expected, for me at least. It lives up to what it portrays in adverts; booze, sex, parties, drugs and violence.… MoreThis was one film that was far better than expected, for me at least. It lives up to what it portrays in adverts; booze, sex, parties, drugs and violence. However, what I found fascinating is that the first half is a satire of the "outgoing" lifestyle of young adults who dedicate their lives to constantly partying and drinking booze. However, it slowly becomes a major development for the main girls as it shows how far they're willing to go before they accept reality. James Franco's performance stands superior to all of the four girls combined; his portrayal of a foul mouthed yet charismatic drug dealer is truly one of the major highlights of this film. From hearing all kinds from critics of 'Spring Breakers' possibly becoming a cult classic, this film has my approval of having that title.

Thomas Johnston

I am so glad I am not a young person anymore! I felt disgusted at times while watching this movie. James Franco is sooo good in this role. It takes quality… MoreI am so glad I am not a young person anymore! I felt disgusted at times while watching this movie. James Franco is sooo good in this role. It takes quality acting to portray such horrible people. Sometimes I guess I need to be reminded how bad things can be!